How Long Does It Take to Get Health Insurance After Applying?

On this page

• How long each kind of coverage takes
• Marketplace plans during open enrollment
• After a qualifying life event
• Pay the first premium on time
• Job-based coverage
• Medicaid and CHIP
• Medicare
• Buying outside the marketplace
• Frequently asked questions

How long each kind of coverage takes

How you get coverage	When it usually starts
Marketplace plan, open enrollment	January 1 if you enroll by December 15; February 1 if you enroll December 16 to January 15
Marketplace plan, special enrollment period	First of the month after you pick a plan
Birth, adoption or foster placement	The date of the event
Losing other coverage, with a plan picked in advance	First of the month after the old coverage ends
Job-based plan	Within 90 days of becoming eligible, often the first of the month after you’re hired
Medicaid or CHIP	Often the first of the month you apply, and Medicaid can reach back up to three months
Medicare	The month you turn 65 if you sign up early; otherwise the month after you sign up
Short-term plan	As soon as the next day

Marketplace plans during open enrollment

Open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs from November 1, 2026, to January 15, 2027, on HealthCare.gov. Choose a plan by December 15 and coverage starts January 1. Choose one between December 16 and January 15 and it starts February 1. Some state-run marketplaces stay open longer: California, New Jersey, New York and Washington, DC, run through January 31.

Your health doesn’t slow anything down. Marketplace plans can’t turn you down, charge you more or make you wait because of a pre-existing condition. See getting health insurance with pre-existing conditions and our overview of Obamacare.

After a qualifying life event

Outside open enrollment, you need a special enrollment period, usually 60 days after events like losing job-based coverage, moving, getting married or having a baby. In most cases, coverage starts on the first day of the month after you pick a plan, whatever day of the month you enroll.

Two exceptions help you avoid a gap:

• Birth, adoption or foster care: coverage can start on the date of the event.
• Losing other coverage: you can pick a plan up to 60 days before the old coverage ends, and the new plan starts the first of the next month.

The marketplace may ask for documents that prove the event, and your coverage can be held up until they’re reviewed, so upload them quickly. More in qualifying life events.

Pay the first premium on time

Picking a plan isn’t the last step. Coverage doesn’t take effect until the insurer gets your first month’s premium, sometimes called the binder payment. Insurers set their own deadlines, often before the start date. Miss it and the enrollment can be canceled, which may leave you waiting for the next enrollment window.

Job-based coverage

Employers can make new workers wait before coverage starts, but federal law caps the waiting period at 90 days once you’re eligible. Some add an orientation period of up to a month first. Plenty of plans start on day one or the first of the month after you’re hired.

If you’re between jobs during that wait, you can bridge the gap with COBRA from your old job, which you have 60 days to elect and which covers you back to the day your old plan ended, or with a marketplace plan.

Medicaid and CHIP

You can apply for Medicaid or CHIP any time. States have up to 45 days to decide, or 90 days if the application is based on a disability. Once approved, coverage usually starts the first day of the month you applied, and Medicaid can pay bills from up to three months before that if you were eligible then. Starting in 2027, the 2025 tax law shortens that look-back to two months for most people and one month for adults covered through Medicaid expansion.

Medicare

If you sign up during the three months before the month you turn 65, Medicare starts the first day of your birthday month. If you sign up in your birthday month or the three months after, it starts the first day of the month after you sign up. See who is eligible for Medicare.

Buying outside the marketplace

ACA plans bought directly from an insurer, outside the exchange, follow the same enrollment windows and start dates, but you can’t use a premium tax credit on them. Short-term plans can start the next day, but they can refuse to cover pre-existing conditions and leave out benefits like maternity care. Can health insurance be backdated covers the few cases where coverage starts before you apply.

Want to see what you’d pay? Compare plans in your ZIP code.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get health insurance that starts today?

Usually not an ACA plan. Marketplace coverage starts on the first of a month, so the earliest is the first of next month. A short-term plan can start the next day, and Medicaid can sometimes cover care you’ve already received.

Does applying by phone or mail take longer?

Paper applications take the longest. Online and phone applications through HealthCare.gov are processed right away, and you get an eligibility notice before you pick a plan. Either way, the start date depends on when you choose the plan.

What if the marketplace asks for more information?

Send the documents it asks for by the deadline in your notice. You can usually stay enrolled while they’re reviewed, but you can lose your subsidy or coverage if you don’t respond.

How long do I have after losing job-based coverage?

60 days after the coverage ends, and you can apply up to 60 days before it ends. See health insurance for the unemployed.

This article is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Deadlines and start dates vary by state and plan, so check HealthCare.gov, your state’s marketplace or your employer for your situation. Last reviewed September 2026.